The car, which is on sale now, is available as both a coupe and open-top Volante, and will be officially unveiled at the Geneva motor show next week.

The standard car has a two-plus-two seating configuration, but buyers also have the option of specifying it as a two-seater.

Aston Martin says the car sits between the DB9 and sporty DBS in its range, and calls the new car a ‘sporting GT’. The Virage provides a combination of luxury, comfort and refinement with sports car performance, it says.

Power comes from a 489bhp version of the company’s 6.0-litre V12 engine. Driving through a six-speed semi-automatic transmission, it’s enough to get the car to 62mph in 4.6 seconds. However, as much as the sheer speed, Aston Martin is keen to stress how flexible the engine is – and how effortless the performance is as a result.

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To control all that power, the car will come with ceramic brakes as standard, while the suspension has been set up to provide a mix between comfort and sport. The standard adaptive suspension system has five settings in each of the Normal and Sport modes, while a separate Sport button on the dashboard allows the driver to choose sharper throttle response and faster gearchanges.

The car is full upholstered in hand-stitched leather, and standard equipment includes sat-nav, cruise control, xenon headlights and swan-wing doors, which open up and out at 12 degrees.

Although the car’s price will be confirmed at the Geneva show next week, the car is already on sale at Aston dealerships.